Week 65: ABC

Good morning!

We went bright and early to fill the baptismal font. It literally took four hours, and it never warmed up! 

This week has had an alphabetical quality to it. A lot has happened, so I figured I’d take an abecedarian stroll down memory lane.

One of the necessary missionary/convert photo ops you were all waiting for.

A is for Angie

I don’t know if I’ve talked about Angie a whole lot, but she is the sweetest girl in the universe. We met her at the end of last transfer after an extensive battle to have our schedules line up. Her grandma is a church member, and she was so excited to learn (or review) gospel principles. We set her on date for this Saturday, and lo and behold:

B is for Baptism (and Baul)

Angie isn’t the first person I’ve taught who’s gotten baptized (shoutout to Angela and Alex), but she’s the first person I’ve taught whose baptism I was able to attend. Funny how getting transferred and moving to a different country can hinder that. But Angie was able to complete her first covenant with God, and it was so pure. The district was so supportive, and all of us baptized this transfer! Which was a really cool miracle, especially since I have gotten the official news that I’m getting transferred. I know it would be easy to think that I would stay in Baul forever, but unfortunately, I cannot. Or so it has been explained to me.

Hermana Paty let us use her house (and her oven) to make my mom’s chocolate peppermint cookie recipe. Thanks to her and Mom!

C is for Cookie (and Cerro and Cliffhangers)

With me leaving the area and all, we've been trying to jam pack as many fun activities as possible for the next couple of days. That included baking cookies with the familia Aguirre Recinos, as well as them taking us up to the Cerro El Baul!

Hermana Paty is part of the ward missionary leadership, and she is a total sweetheart. So is her daughter Nahomy!

“Cerro” is a Spanish word for “hill,” which is funny, because the Cerro here is actually a mountain. It’s obviously the reason Baul has the name it does, which means it’s the claim to fame of our area. But the funny thing is that I’ve somehow managed to evade hiking it my entire time here? But this morning, I said enough was enough! We rose bright and early and we climbed that mountain, and the view was absolutely gorgeous!

Up the Cerro!

One of my favorite things about Xela, but specifically Baul, is how you’re able to see the temple from everywhere. In my normal, proselytizing, day-to-day, I can just look off in the distance, and there it is. I was able to see the temple pretty well until we got on the trail to the Cerro. Suddenly, there were all of these trees surrounding me, and it became a lot harder to spot. I was still able to make out the white dot in the distance in between the branches, but the higher up we went, the harder it was to see. I realized that my life often follows a similar pattern. I'm probably progressing, and getting closer to my goal, but it's easy to lose sight of the thing that really matters. Philippians 3 says:

13 … but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

When I reached the top of that mountain, I was able to look over all of Xela. All of the roads I’ve trod looked so inconsequential and small, but at the end of the journey, the temple beamed more brightly than ever, even from so far away. And there was nothing keeping me away from it.

Hermana Noyola is the best!!! I will miss my friend :'(

There is so much that my mission has taught me, and even with the grief of having to leave an area behind, I know what’s in store. Even if the picture isn't as clear as I would like. Especially since I don’t even know where I'm going! I guess we’ll have to wait until next week. But until then …

I’ve made it to 15 months? Sorry, it didn’t fit in with the alphabet thing I planned.

—Absolutely, Brightly, Compassionately,

Hermana Newton